> make an example out of NJ

If Uber left, it would look more like NJ made an example out of Uber. Other states would see NJ's success in beating down Uber, and might be inspired to tighten their own labor law enforcement.

Also, Uber would be leaving behind a very lucrative market in NJ: it's the 11th most populous state, 3rd highest in income,[1] and a large part of its population is in the NYC metro area (high population density, lots of rides to commuter trains, etc.).

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey

Just like how Uber pulled out of Austin, and in their place, a half-dozen firms with similar business models sprung up, to serve that market?

Uber's not some irreplaceable God's Gift to Man.

"We should just let corporations do whatever they want"

I wonder how many people have this opinion just to stick it to "the man" -- seems like most of the anti-Uber HN crowd does not actually drive for Uber, but nonetheless express a passionate hatred for their business model.

why would not working for someone preclude you from having an opinion about that companies questionable business practices?

but hey, it's easier to sleep at night when you just dismiss opposing opinions due to their lack of the exact same life experience as you?

They are avoiding taxes which indirectly increases ours

Your comment doesn't make sense, are you saying that all independent contractors are tax avoiders and leech from society? Either the taxes independent contractors pay are fine and Uber paid a fair amount, or we need to raise the rates for all independent contractors.

They are not independent contractors they are employees its the employer side that is going missing.

An in the USA (vs the UK) actually self employed workers get screwed over getting 20% over a FTE i seen as good where in the UK I would go out for 3x my FTE sallery.

Don't know how that works in US, but here in Europe the answer is yes, the main reason people become contractors is because taxes for contractors are lower than for employees, which means more take-home pay for the same cost for the employer.

In the US, contractors have a higher effective tax rate than employees, and are responsible for FICA withholdings that are usually part of an employer's payroll tax.

There are plenty of competitors in NJ chomping at the bit to eat Uber and Lyft's lunch.

What are these competitors? I go to NJ frequently and haven't heard about any of them.

They get bought out frequently. Juno is big in the NYC metro area that covers a lot of North Jersey. Curb, Via, and Gett also operate there.

Consenting parties? The asymmetry is such that you can't really speak of consent any more. It's about as consensual as a 15 hour workday was in the 1920's.